that doesn’t seem fair…

someone once said, “what is a CHRISTian?”  CHRISTians are just beggars telling other beggars where to find food.  we’re just people who found spiritual food from JESUS CHRIST undeserved.  and we can tell other people, “you can have that food, too.”  it ought to come out of a sense of humility and respect for others. 

so CHRISTianity is unique, it can’t be reconciled with any other religion, it backs up its truth claims with credibility and credentials like no other system does.  that’s why when JESUS said over 2000 years ago, i am the way, the truth and the life, all that brings us to a commonly asked question.  if JESUS is the only way, what about those who live on some isolated island in the middle of the pacific ocean somewhere who don’t hear about JESUS?  are they going to go to hell because they’ve never heard about JESUS CHRIST?  that doesn’t seem fair?  what about those who’ve never heard?”  that’s a very commonly asked question.  GOD hasn’t told us explicitly the answer but HE has given us enough clues that we can figure it out, i think.  we do know this:

first, GOD puts each person in the place where they might reach out to HIM. 

acts 17.26-27 (niv), from one man GOD made every nation of men that they should inhabit the whole earth.  and HE determined the time set for them and the exact places where they should live.  GOD did this so that men would seek HIM and perhaps reach out for HIM and find HIM, though HE is not far from each one of us. 

if you’re on some island somewhere, that is the place, it says, where you will perhaps reach out for HIM.  and it says HE’s not far from each one of us.  HE’s not making it hard for us to find HIM.  HE’s not playing cosmic hide and seek.  HE’s not far.

second, everyone has a moral standard written on their hearts and that everyone is guilty of violating. 

we all have a moral standard.  we know that’s true.  how?  because hasn’t your conscious bothered you when you’ve done something wrong?  of course.  that’s because you have a moral standard written on your heart and you violated it. 

we will continue this tomorrow.

just a thought from the front porch…